Cart before horse

It’s a classic case of putting cart before the horse and getting away with it. The Jayanagar Traffic and Transit Management Centre – a fancy name for a new bus stand located in a multi-storey building – was inaugurated in August 2009. The cost was around Rs.12 crores. It was a classic sarkari ceremony with the chief minister cutting the ribbon, transport minister attending, and the works. The media was happy to report it too.

The centre has space for offices in the second and third floors and a swanky terrace parking lot for the public on the fourth level. They forgot one thing – no elevator. Yet, the contract for the terrace parking lot was given in late 2009. See the brief report on page 5, as well a more detailed story online.

What’s worse is this: when Citizen Matters asked a BMTC official why the elevator was not in place at the beginning, he says they could only do things ‘one by one’!

Our officials do not get even the basic order of simple infrastructure like a bus stand and car parking right. Yet with much ado and advertising they run a Global Investors Meet and attract tens of thousands of crores or rupees into the state!⊕